Sir Garry Sobers | West Indies Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo 1963 - 1974 Profile A cricketing genius, Garry Sobers excelled at all aspects of the game, and few would argue his claim as the finest allround player in modern cricket. His exceptional Test batting average tells little about the manner in which he made the runs, his elegant yet powerful style marked by all the shots, but memorably his off-side play. As a batsman he was great, as a bowler, merely superb, but would have made the West Indies side as a bowler alone. He was remarkably versatile with the ball, bowling two styles of spin - left-arm orthodox and wrist spin, but was also a fine fast-medium opening bowler. His catching close to the wicket may have been equalled but never surpassed, and he was a brilliant fielder anywhere. He was an enterprising captain - at times maybe too enterprising, as when a generous declaration allowed England to win a decisive match at Port-of-Spain.

Born with an extra finger on each hand (removed at birth), Sobers excelled at most athletic activities, playing golf, soccer and bastketball for Barbados, and made his first class debut at the age of 16, appearing in Tests a year later. He was played initially mostly as a bowler, but four years later set the Test record for an individual batsman with a mammoth 365 against Pakistan. His achievments are numerous - including the six consecutive sixes hit off an over from the unfortunate Malcolm Nash, a superb innings of 254 for the Rest of the World against Australia in 1971 that earned the praise of Don Bradman, and much more. Like many West Indians, he plied his trade abroad, playing for Nottinghamshire, and South Australia. He was knighted for his services to cricket in 1975.

Dave Liverman Garfield Sobers (Cricketer) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Garfield Sobers Male Born Jul 28, 1936 Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, also known as Gary or Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974, and is widely considered one of cricket's greatest all-rounders. Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sobers made his first-class debut for the Barbados cricket team at the age of 16 in 1953, and his Test debut for the West Indies the following year. Originally playing mainly as a bowler, he was soon promoted up the batting order.… Read More related links West Indies Great Sobers Leads Lord's Tribute To Muhammad Ali Yahoo News - Jun 10, 2016 ' <mark>Garfield Sobers</mark>, arguably cricket\'s greatest all-rounder, on Friday led a special tribute to Muhammad Ali at Lord\'s on the day of the boxing legend\'s funeral.

The two sporting icons met at Lord\'s back in 1966 when Sobers was a member of the West Indies side playing England in a Test match at \"the home of cricket\" and heavyweight star Ali was in London for his second fight with Britain\'s Henry Cooper. During the lunch interval of Friday\'s second day play in the third Tes... Australia Skipper Steve Smith Named Icc Cricketer Of The Year Yahoo News - Dec 23, 2015 ' Australia captain Steve Smith was named ICC Cricketer of the Year for 2015 on Wednesday after scoring a world leading 1,734 runs at an average of 82.57 with seven centuries over the voting period. The 26-year-old right-hander kept the Sir <mark>Garfield Sobers</mark> Trophy in Australia for the third straight year after pace bowler Mitchell Johnson and his predecessor as skipper, Michael Clarke, won in 2014 and 2013. Smith also scored four centuries and 1,249 runs in 25 one-day internationa...

Sachin Faces Stiff Competition For Icc's Top Honour Ndtv.Com Google News - Aug 28, 2011 'The four batsmen were nominated after a voting done by an independent 25-person academy and the eventual winner will recieve the Sir <mark>Garfield Sobers</mark> Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year. Tendulkar recieved the honour in the previous edition of the ...&nbsp;-&nbsp;-' News From The Sporting Arena Calcutta Telegraph Google News - Aug 25, 2011 'While on tour to England as part of a South African school side, they volunteered to be dressing-room attendants and ended up putting the shine back on the shoes of <mark>Garfield Sobers</mark>. Another gem has Vishwanathan Anand describing Gary Kasparov&#39;s' Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Garfield Sobers.

CHILDHOOD 1936 Birth Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was born on 28 July 1936 to Shamont and Thelma Sobers of Walcott Avenue, Bay Land, St Michael, Bridgetown, Barbados, and was the fifth of six children. … Read More At birth he had two extra fingers, one on each hand, which he removed himself during childhood, "with the aid of catgut and a sharp knife." Read Less 1942 5 Years Old Sobers was only five when his father died at sea in January 1942, after his ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat. … Read More From an early age, Sobers demonstrated the talent and ability to play with great skill almost any sport involving a ball, particularly cricket, football and basketball. He and his similarly talented brother Gerald helped their Bay Street Boys' School team to win the primary school Inter-School Cricket championship for three consecutive years. When he was 13, he was recruited to play for two cricket teams.

These were the Kent St Philip club in the Barbados Cricket League (BCL) and the Wanderers club, located at Bay Land, in the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA). Garnet Ashby, captain of Kent St Philip, told him that this was his opportunity to play cricket with "the big boys".<br /><br /> Sobers gained useful experience by bowling to Wanderers batsmen, including West Indies Test player Denis Atkinson, at practice in the nets and soon developed his great skill as a left arm spin bowler. More importantly for his career, he was observed by Inspector Wilfred Farmer, captain of the Police team in the BCL First Division. Read Less TEENAGE 1951 - 1952 2 More Events 1951 14 Years Old Farmer offered Sobers a chance to play for Police in the 1951â52 season while he was still only 15. 1952 15 Years Old In the 1952â53 season, Sobers was invited to the Barbados trials for the colony's tour match against the Indian touring team at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown.

… Read More He was initially selected as 12th man but then made the team itself when Frank King was forced to withdraw. Read Less Show Less Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sobers made his first-class debut for the Barbados cricket team at the age of 16 in 1953, and his Test debut for the West Indies the following year. … Read More Originally playing mainly as a bowler, he was soon promoted up the batting order. Against Pakistan in 1958, Sobers scored his maiden Test century, progressing to 365 not out and establishing a new record for the highest individual score in an innings, which was not broken until Brian Lara scored 375 in 1994. He was made captain of the West Indies in 1965, a role which he would hold until 1972.

He would also captain a Rest of the World XI during their 1970 tour of England.<br /><br /> Overall, Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 8032 runs at an average of 57.78, and taking 235 wickets at an average of 34.03. He has the fourth highest batting average in Test cricket in the list of cricketers with more than 5,000 runs. In his 383 first-class matches, he scored over 28,000 runs and took over 1000 wickets, having spent time with South Australia and Nottinghamshire towards the end of his career. Sobers was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his services to cricket. Read Less He therefore made his first-class debut on 31 January 1953, aged only 16.

… Read More Batting at number nine, he scored 7 not out in his only innings but made an immediate impression as a bowler, taking 4/50 and 3/92.<br /><br /> A full year passed before Sobers, now 17, made his second first-class appearance, again playing against a touring team. He batted at number five against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), scoring 46 and 27; and took two wickets in the match. He had shown enough talent in these two matches to be selected for West Indies and his third first-class appearance was his Test debut. Read Less Show Less Sobers had progressed quickly and made his Test debut in March 1954, aged 17, against England at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica for the Fifth and final Test, after Alf Valentine had fallen ill. … Read More Sobers was selected as a bowler, despite only mediocre performances against England for Barbados. He made a good impression by taking 4/75 in England's first innings, including a wicket in his opening over.

Sobers also scored 14 not out and 26 batting at number nine; however, England won the match by nine wickets. Read Less Australia toured the West Indies in 1954â55, and their all-rounder Keith Miller thought that Sobers would become a better batsman than bowler despite batting in the lower-order. … Read More Sobers was not selected for the First Test, which the West Indies lost by nine wickets. However, he regained his place for the Second Test in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The match was a high-scoring draw, with Sobers scoring 47 and eight not out. He was barely used with the ball, bowling three overs for ten runs, as Australia amassed a first-innings total of over 600. Sobers was given a further opportunity in the next Test in Georgetown, Guyana (British Guiana at the time) in South America. Despite scoring only 12 and 11 with the bat, he took three wickets in the Australians' first innings. Nevertheless, Australia won by eight wickets.

West Indian captain and opening batsman Jeff Stollmeyer twisted his ankle after treading on a ball ahead of the Fourth Test in Barbados, "triggering huge debate about who should open." Eventually, Sobers was chosen to open the innings after Australia had amassed another total of over 600. Sobers had a suspicion he might be asked to do the job. "I couldn't see them sending in anyone else â I was a bowler with a little ability as a batsman and they wanted someone to help see off the shine and protect the three W's." Sobers struck his first three deliveries for boundaries, all from the bowling of Miller. In the fast-bowler's second over, Sobers hit him for another three fours. Read Less 1956 19 Years Old Sobers went on his first overseas tour in the early months of 1956 when, aged 19, he was part of the West Indian tour of New Zealand. … Read More The series was not successful personally for Sobers, who struggled on the foreign batting wickets. West Indies pitches had little or no grass to speak of, while in New Zealand the pitches were green.

"I took one look and asked myself how I could possibly bat on that? How could I make runs? I was out before I even walked to the crease," Sobers later wrote. Playing in all four Tests, he totalled 81 runs and two wickets. As a batsman, Sobers needed time to develop at Test level and, in nine Tests as a teenager, he scored only one half century, and averaged 29.33 with the bat.<br /><br /> He was sent home from New Zealand early to play an unofficial Test match against an England team that included feared fast-bowler Frank Tyson. After struggling to cope with Tyson's pace, Sobers managed to score a half-century, raising hope that he would be selected for the upcoming tour to England, something he considered unlikely after his lack of form. In the first trial match to help select the squad for the upcoming tour, Sobers scored a century in Trinidad. The matches also saw Sobers get his first look at West Indian cricket politics.

Wes Hall and Frank Mason were competing for a single place in the touring party, and Sobers and Everton Weekes decided they "would take on Mason and knock him out of the firing line to try and get our fellow Bajan (countryman) Wes in the team." Read Less TWENTIES Show Less Sobers toured England for their summer in 1957. … Read More He played his first match against the Jim Swanton XI in April, and was surprised about how cold the conditions were, often causing him to wear two or three jumpers. His performances with the bat throughout the five Test series were classed as mediocre, scoring 320 runs at 32, with three half centuries. On the bowling front, Sobers struggled, taking five wickets at 71. It was in the final Test at The Oval that Sobers gained the attention of critics with defiant batting amid a disappointing team performance. The condition of the pitch was subject to criticism and described by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as "a strange sight".

After England had scored 412, the West Indies were easily dismissed for 89 and 86 by the Surrey spinners Jim Laker and Tony Lock, who were playing on their home ground. Batting at number 3, Sobers made 39 and 42, while none of his colleagues passed 30 in either innings. In its summary of the tour, Wisden said: "(of the newcomers) Collie Smith, Sobers, Rohan Kanhai and Roy Gilchrist were particularly impressive"; adding that "to Sobers, a tall left-handed all-rounder, fell the distinction of hitting the highest score of the tour: 219 not out against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Sobers undoubtedly was a very fine stroke-player who should go far". Read Less … At this stage of his career, Sobers had frustrated his admirers by failing to convert good starts into high scores. He had reached double figures in 18 of his 22 Test innings, although his highest score was still only 66. Read Less But, in the three years following the 1957 tour, he fulfilled his promise.

… Read More In his next 24 Tests, he scored 2,250 runs at the exceptionally high average of 93.75. Read Less Show Less In 1958, he scored his maiden Test century against Pakistan in Kingston and expanded it to an unbeaten 365, breaking the world record Test score of 364 set by England's Len Hutton in 1938. … Read More Sobers batted for 614 minutes and scored 38 fours but, unusually in such a large total, no sixes. At 21 years and 216 days, he is the youngest player to break the individual scoring record in Tests, and remains the youngest triple-centurion. Read Less He made 824 runs with three centuries in the five Tests against Pakistan, and followed this with 557 runs and three more centuries on the West Indies tour of India in 1958â59. Show Less Sobers underwent trauma following the death of Collie Smith in September 1959, but he continued to play cricket successfully.

In the home Test series against England in 1959â60, he scored three centuries in five matches, totalling 709 runs. While he was engaged at Radcliffe, Sobers underwent emotional trauma after a road accident in September 1959 on the A34 near Stoke-on-Trent which resulted in Collie Smith's death. … Read More Sobers was driving a car in which Smith and another West Indian Test player Tom Dewdney were passengers. Smith's back was broken by the collision and he died three days later. Sobers could not recall much about the crash and was fined 10 pounds for driving without due care and attention. He "began drinking more" and there were concerns, expressed by himself and others, that the experience might affect his cricket career. He got over the trauma by deciding that he would be letting his country down if he "disappeared into the mists of an alcoholic haze" and he resolved to play not just for Garfield Sobers but for Collie Smith as well, thus setting himself the task of playing for two men.

He recovered well and, after an outstanding home Test series against England in 1959â60, he returned to Radcliffe where he continued as club professional for the next three seasons. Read Less Show Less Largely inspired by new West Indies captain Frank Worrell, who was a close personal friend, Sobers had an outstanding 1960â61 series in Australia. … Read More He scored a celebrated 132 on the first day of the First Test at Brisbane Cricket Ground, the match which resulted in the first Tied Test. Wisden confirmed that "some observers considered it the best hundred they had ever seen". Sobers scored 430 runs in the series, which Australia won 2â1, with two centuries; his fielding was outstanding and he took 12 catches. He felt he had "had a good series, starting badly but then coming on" and a very positive outcome for him was to receive an invitation from Don Bradman to play for South Australia in 1961â62.

Read Less Sobers took 15 wickets in the 1960â61 series, including a best analysis of 5/120, at an average of 39.20, and his bowling allowed Worrell to play an extra batsman in the final three Tests, thus using Sobers for the first time as a designated all-rounder, a role in which he became the dominant player in world cricket over the next decade, being awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World title (retrospectively) eight times in 13 years. … Read More Sobers was never a prolific wicket-taker in Test cricket, and his average of three wickets per game in this series typified his whole career. Overall, he took 235 wickets in his 93 Tests at an average of 34.03 and was more effective when operating as a pace bowler. His best performance was 6/73 and, although he achieved five wickets in an innings six times, he never took ten in a match.

Read Less His success continued in the next two series at home to India in 1961â62 and away to England in 1963. … In January 1972, in the Third (unofficial) Test between Australia and the Rest of the World XI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sobers played an innings of 254 which was described by Don Bradman as "probably the greatest exhibition of batting ever seen in Australia". He reached his century in 129 balls and after a rest day, reached 254 in 326 balls. It was "one of the most magnificent innings seen on the Melbourne Cricket Ground" and his "superb display of forceful cricket" lasted 376 minutes and included two sixes and 33 fours. <br /><br />Sobers spent several seasons in English league cricket. Having completed his first tour of England with West Indies in 1957, he followed the advice of his mentor Frank Worrell and became the professional at Radcliffe Cricket Club in the Central Lancashire League, staying for five seasons from 1958 to 1962.

This experience enabled him to hone his skills in varying conditions and Sobers says that playing in the league furthered his cricket education. He enjoyed considerable success at Radcliffe. Read Less In 1961, he achieved a rare "double" by scoring 1008 runs and taking 144 wickets, his performances being instrumental in Radcliffe winning both the league's championship title and its supplementary Wood Cup competition. 1963 - 1965 3 More Events 1963 26 Years Old After touring England with West Indies in 1963, he moved to the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League in 1964 to play for Norton Cricket Club, who duly won the league title. … Read More Sobers made 549 runs in 18 innings at 49.90, finishing second in the league averages behind only his amateur brother Gerald, also playing for Norton, who averaged 50.12.

Read Less 1964 27 Years Old He was elected Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1964, and then succeeded Worrell, who had retired, as West Indies captain for the 1964â65 home series against Australia. … Read More Sobers enjoyed immediate success as West Indies captain when his team defeated Australia by 179 runs in the First Test at Sabina Park. West Indies went on to win the series 2â1 and so claim the new Frank Worrell Trophy. This was the first time West Indies had beaten Australia in a Test series.<br /><br /> He enjoyed spectacular success in England in 1966 and was widely acclaimed as "King Cricket". In the five Tests he scored 722 runs at an average of 103.14 with three centuries, and had 20 wickets at 27.25, as well as taking 10 catches. West Indies won the series 3â1, with one match drawn.

His status was celebrated at that time by the Trinidadian calypso artist Mighty Sparrow, with his song "Sir Garfield Sobers".<br /><br /> In 1966â67, Sobers captained the West Indies team to India in 1966â67 and they won the series 2â0 with one match drawn. Read Less 1965 28 Years Old Gary Sobers did even better with the ball, his 97 wickets at 8.38 heading the league averages. 1965 saw a repeat performance with Norton again winning the league and, though Sobers only averaged 25.38 with the bat, he again topped the league bowling averages with 76 wickets at 8.03. Show Less Norton lost the league title in 1966 while Sobers was touring England with West Indies but regained it in 1967 when he returned.

… Read More He was fourth in the 1967 league batting averages with 41.83 and third in the bowling with 95 wickets at 9.37 (the two bowlers with better averages took only 22 and 24 wickets).<br /><br /> In the 1961â62 Australian season which followed the 1960â61 West Indies tour, Sobers and his West Indian colleagues Wes Hall and Rohan Kanhai returned to Australia to take part in the Sheffield Shield. Sobers played for South Australia and had an enormous impact on attendances, causing an 89% increase with gate receipts rising "by two and a half times". He topped both the batting and bowling averages at South Australia, his best performance being against champions New South Wales at the Adelaide Oval when he scored 251 and took 3/51 and 6/72.<br /><br /> He was even more outstanding in 1963â64 when, largely due to his efforts, South Australia won the Sheffield Shield.

Sobers was the season's leading runscorer with 973 at 74.84 and the leading wicket taker with 47 at 28.27. Read Less Sobers played intermittently for Barbados throughout his first-class career. He made his first appearance in the inaugural season of the new Shell Shield competition in February 1966. … Read More His last appearance for Barbados came in the 1973â74 Shell Shield match against Jamaica, at Kensington Oval.<br /><br /> At the end of the 1967 English cricket season, it was agreed that each county club could immediately sign a non-English player for the 1968 season. Read Less Sobers was briefly engaged to Indian actress Anju Mahendru after he met her on the 1966â67 tour of India. THIRTIES 1967 30 Years Old Seven clubs approached Sobers and, on 14 December 1967, Nottinghamshire announced that he had signed for them and had been appointed club captain.

… Read More Sobers stated that, although he had enjoyed his time in league cricket, he had a definite preference for the first-class game and he looked forward to restoring Nottinghamshire's fortunes. Read Less Show Less Though details were undisclosed, Wisden 1968 speculated that his contract would run for three years and be worth Â£7000 a year (a very high income at the time), including an apartment and a car. On 31 August 1968, Sobers became the first batsman ever to hit six sixes in a single over of six consecutive balls in first-class cricket. … Read More The feat consisted of five clean hits for six and one six where the ball was caught but carried over the boundary by Roger Davis. Sobers was playing as captain of Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan at St. Helen's in Swansea; the unfortunate bowler was Malcolm Nash. This tally of 36 runs in an over broke a 57-year-old record of 34 runs, held by Ted Alletson. The ball was collected from a garden by 11-year-old Richard Lewis; he later gave the ball to Sobers.

In 1984â85, Indian batsman Ravi Shastri equalled the record by scoring six sixes in an over while playing for Bombay versus Baroda.<br /><br /> An outstanding all-rounder, Sobers was left-handed as both batsman and bowler. His versatility enabled him to bowl all varieties of left-arm bowling from spin to fast-medium. As a fielder he was usually stationed close to the wicket but he was also a very capable outfielder. Read Less … Richie Benaud described Sobers as "the greatest all-round cricketer the world has seen". Sobers, wrote Benaud, was "a brilliant batsman, splendid fielder, particularly close to the wicket, and a bowler of extraordinary skill, whether bowling with the new ball, providing orthodox left-arm spin or over-the-wrist spin". <br /><br />Fred Trueman enjoyed a great rivalry with Sobers and later described him as a "sublime left-hand batsman" who was "one of the greatest cricketers ever to have graced the game, certainly the greatest all-rounder".

Trueman went on to say that Sobers as a batsman "has a great cricketing brain and his thought processes are lightning quick". <br /><br />C. L. R. James, when describing the batsmanship of Wilton St Hill, commented upon St Hill's ability to judge the ball early in its flight and so quickly decide which stroke to play. In James's view, only Don Bradman and Sobers were comparable with St Hill in having this capability of "seeing" the ball. Wisden 1969 described the "lightning footwork" of Sobers as he got into position for his stroke. Read Less Commenting upon Sobers' six sixes in an over against his team in 1968, Glamorgan captain Tony Lewis said: "It was not sheer slogging through strength, but scientific hitting with every movement working in harmony." … Read More As a bowler, Sobers began as an orthodox left arm spinner (SLA) and later developed the ability to bowl left arm wrist spin or chinaman and googlies. Sobers could also operate as a seamer, sometimes using medium pace, but he was much more effective when he bowled fast.

With the new ball, he could make the delivery curve late in flight at high speed; his action being a loose, springy run followed by a "whiplash" delivery.<br /><br /> Though he mostly fielded close to the wicket, Sobers was an exceptional outfielder who was seen on one occasion, when he had fielded the ball on the boundary, to "bend his hand back almost parallel with his arm before flipping the ball a full seventy yards to the wicketkeeper".<br /><br /> Following his success as captain of West Indies on the 1966 tour of England, the 1967 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack declared that for Sobers "(the 1966 Tests) were one triumph after another with bat and ball, as well as in the field as a master tactician and fantastic catcher close to the bat". Sobers' exploits in 1966 earned him the media-bestowed sobriquet of "King Cricket", which soon afterwards became the title of a book about him. Read Less 1969 32 Years Old He married Prue Kirby, an Australian, in September 1969.

… Read More They had two sons, Matthew and Daniel, and an adopted daughter, Genevieve. Read Less 1975 38 Years Old In the 1975 New Year Honours, Queen Elizabeth II created Sobers a Knight Bachelor for his services to cricket. The award was made in the British Diplomatic and Overseas section of the list, rather than on the nomination of the Government of Barbados, which had stopped putting forward recommendations for British honours. This caused the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office some unease, as shown by papers released by The National Archives in 2005. However, since Barbados had not yet introduced its own system of honours, the Prime Minister of Barbados was pleased that an honour would be forthcoming for Sobers. The award was originally intended to be made in the 1975 Queen's Birthday Honours, but since there was a royal visit to Barbados planned for February 1975, it was moved forward to the New Year list so that Sobers could be knighted by the Queen in person during the visit.

… Read More The very short turnaround between the decision to make the award and its announcement meant that the Governor-General of Barbados was not informed of the award before the public announcement, which caused some hurt feelings between London and Bridgetown. Read Less FORTIES 1980 43 Years Old He became a dual Barbadian-Australian citizen through marriage in 1980. … Read More By an act of Parliament in 1998, Sobers was named as one of the ten National Heroes of Barbados. Read Less FIFTIES 1990 53 Years Old The marriage ended in divorce in 1990 after the couple broke up in 1984; however, Sobers acquired dual Australian citizenship through marriage in 1980. … Read More He says that his was a multi-sporting family who were all good at football, basketball, table tennis and tennis. His own favourite sport is golf and he has been an enthusiastic gambler. He is the author of a children's novel about cricket, Bonaventure and the Flashing Blade, in which computer analysis helps a university cricket team become unbeatable.

Read Less LATE ADULTHOOD 1998 - 2000 2 More Events 1998 61 Years Old Sobers was made a National Hero of Barbados by the Cabinet of Barbados in 1998 and is thus accorded the honorary prefix "The Right Excellent". … Read More He is one of only ten people to have received this honour and the only recipient still living. Read Less 2000 63 Years Old In 2000 Sobers was named by a 100-member panel of experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. … Read More He received 90 votes out of a possible 100. The other four cricketers selected for the honour were Don Bradman (100 votes), Jack Hobbs (30), Shane Warne (27) and Viv Richards (25). Read Less 2003 66 Years Old Sobers coached internationally, having a one-time stint with Sri Lanka. In 2003 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia, where he had played many first-class games for South Australia.

… Read More Among the awards that Sobers won during his playing career were: Read Less 2004 67 Years Old In 2004, the International Cricket Council (ICC) inaugurated the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy which is awarded annually to the player selected by ICC as its Player of the Year. … Read More The recommendation to name the award after Sobers was made by a panel consisting of Richie Benaud, Sunil Gavaskar and Michael Holding, who were asked by the ICC "to select an individual with whom to honour cricket's ultimate individual award". Read Less 2007 70 Years Old In 2007 Wisden retrospectively selected the Leading Cricketer in the World for every year dating back to 1900 (except 1915â18 and 1940â45), Sobers being selected for eight years (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964â66, 1968 and 1970).

… Read More Only Sobers and Bradman (10) received the accolade more than three times. Read Less Original Authors of this text are noted on . Gary Sobers - Biography - IMDb Gary Sobers Jump to: Overview (2) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (7) Overview (2) Garfield St Aubrun Sobers Mini Bio (1) Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, AO, OCC (born 28 July 1936), also known as Gary or Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974, and is widely considered to be cricket's greatest all-rounder. Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sobers made his first-class debut for the Barbados cricket team at the age of 16 in 1953, and his Test debut for the West Indies the following year. Originally playing mainly as a bowler, he was soon promoted up the batting order.

Against Pakistan in 1958, Sobers scored his maiden Test century, progressing to 365 not out and establishing a new record for the highest individual score in an innings, which was not broken until Brian Lara scored 375 in 1994. He was made captain of the West Indies in 1965, a role which he would hold until 1972. He would also captain a Rest of the World XI during their 1970 tour of England. Overall, Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 8032 runs at an average of 57.78, and taking 235 wickets at an average of 34.03. He has the fourth highest batting average in Test cricket in the list of cricketers with more than 5,000 runs. In his 383 first-class matches, he scored over 28,000 runs and took over 1000 wickets, having spent time with South Australia and Nottinghamshire towards the end of his career. Sobers was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his services to cricket.

He became a dual Barbadian-Australian citizen through marriage in 1980. By an act of Parliament in 1998, Sobers was named as one of the ten National Heroes of Barbados. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Dibyayan Chakravorty Spouse (1) Sir Garfield Sobers | West Indian cricketer | Britannica.com West Indian cricketer Alternative Titles: Gary Sobers, Sir Garfield St. Aubrun Sobers Sir Garfield Sobers Sir Garfield St. Aubrun Sobers Gary Sobers Sachin Tendulkar Sir Garfield Sobers, in full Sir Garfield St. Aubrun Sobers, byname Gary Sobers (born July 28, 1936, Bridgetown , Barbados ), West Indian cricketer, considered by many authorities the most gifted all-around player of all time. As a batsman, he established a record for Test (international) matches by scoring 365 runs, not out, in a single innings (West Indies versus Pakistan , 1957–58 season), a record that stood until 1994.

He was an exceptional bowler who could bowl in every conceivable style, from medium pace to left arm spin. He was also a brilliant fielder at any position but particluarly adept in close-to-the-wicket fielding. Sobers was educated at Bay St. School, Barbados, and became a left-hand batsman and a left-hand bowler in cricket . He entered first-class cricket at age 16 and bowled for the West Indies team against England during the 1953–54 season. His team defeated Australia and then, in 1966, beat England three matches to one. His Test career lasted 20 years, and he captained the West Indies 39 times. He also captained the Nottinghamshire English county team (1968–74). He retired in 1974 and was knighted in 1975. His batting 8,032 runs in Test matches (1953–74) set a record, as did his 26 centuries (100 runs in a single innings). He was named one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the century in 2000.

Sobers wrote several books on cricket, including a novel, Bonaventure and the Flashing Blade (1967), and, with J.S. Barker, a history of cricket in the West Indies (1967). Learn More in these related articles: Garfield Sobers, Cricketer • Biography & Facts Garfield Sobers Cricketer Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers AO, OCC (born 28 July 1936) is a former cricketer who captained West Indies. His first name of Garfield is variously abbreviated as Gary or Garry. He is widely regarded as one of cricket's greatest ever all-rounders, having excelled at all the essential skills of batting, bowling and fielding. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1975 for his services to cricket. He became a dual Barbadian-Australian citizen through marriage in 1980. By an act of Parliament in 1998, Sobers was named as one of the ten National Heroes of Barbados. Garry Sobers - YouTube Garry Sobers Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist.

Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jul 10, 2014 Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers AO OCC (born 28 July 1936), also known as Gary or Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974, and is widely considered one of cricket's greatest all-rounders. Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sobers made his first-class debut for the Barbados cricket team at the age of 16 in 1953, and his Test debut for the West Indies the following year. Originally playing mainly as a bowler, he was soon promoted up the batting order. Against Pakistan in 1958, Sobers scored his maiden Test century, progressing to 365 not out and establishing a new record for the highest individual score in an innings, which was not broken until Brian Lara scored 375 in 1994.

He was made captain of the West Indies in 1965, a role which he would hold until 1972. He would also captain a Rest of the World XI during their 1970 tour of England. Overall, Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 8032 runs at an average of 57.78, and taking 235 wickets at an average of 34.03. In his 383 first-class matches, he scored over 28,000 runs and took over 1000 wickets, having spent time with South Australia and Nottinghamshire towards the end of his career. Sobers was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his services to cricket. He became a dual Barbadian-Australian citizen through marriage in 1980. By an act of Parliament in 1998, Sobers was named as one of the ten National Heroes of Barbados. An outstanding all-rounder, Sobers was left-handed as both batsman and bowler. His versatility enabled him to bowl all varieties of left-arm bowling from spin to fast-medium.

As a fielder he was usually stationed close to the wicket but he was also a very capable outfielder. Richie Benaud described Sobers as "the greatest all-round cricketer the world has seen". Sobers, wrote Benaud, was "a brilliant batsman, splendid fielder, particularly close to the wicket, and a bowler of extraordinary skill, whether bowling with the new ball, providing orthodox left-arm spin or over-the-wrist spin". Fred Trueman enjoyed a great rivalry with Sobers and later described him as a "sublime left-hand batsman" who was "one of the greatest cricketers ever to have graced the game, certainly the greatest all-rounder". Trueman went on to say that Sobers as a batsman "has a great cricketing brain and his thought processes are lightning quick". C. L. R. James, when describing the batsmanship of Wilton St Hill, commented upon St Hill's ability to judge the ball early in its flight and so quickly decide which stroke to play. In James's view, only Don Bradman and Sobers were comparable with St Hill in having this capability of "seeing" the ball.

Wisden 1969 described the "lightning footwork" of Sobers as he got into position for his stroke. Commenting upon Sobers' six sixes in an over against his team in 1968, Glamorgan captain Tony Lewis said: "It was not sheer slogging through strength, but scientific hitting with every movement working in harmony." As a bowler, Sobers began as an orthodox left arm spinner (SLA) and later developed the ability to bowl left arm wrist spin or chinaman and googlies. Sobers could also operate as a seamer, sometimes using medium pace, but he was much more effective when he bowled fast. With the new ball, he could make the delivery curve late in flight at high speed; his action being a loose, springy run followed by a "whiplash" delivery. Though he mostly fielded close to the wicket, Sobers was an exceptional outfielder who was seen on one occasion, when he had fielded the ball on the boundary, to "bend his hand back almost parallel with his arm before flipping the ball a full seventy yards to the wicketkeeper".

Following his success as captain of West Indies on the 1966 tour of England, the 1967 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack declared that for Sobers "(the 1966 Tests) were one triumph after another with bat and ball, as well as in the field as a master tactician and fantastic catcher close to the bat". Sobers' exploits in 1966 earned him the media-bestowed sobriquet of "King Cricket", which soon afterwards became the title of a book about him. Source : & Google image. Profile of Garfield Sobers Home > Sports > Profiles > Cricket > Garfield Sobers Gary Sobers : Cricket Sir Garfield St. Auburn Sobers, AO, OCC, (born July 28, 1936), also known as Gary or Garry Sobers, is a retired cricketer considered to be the best all-rounders of all time and who also became a national hero of Barbados. He made his first-class debut when he was 16 in 1953 for the Barbados cricket team and his Test debut for the West Indies in 1954.

He regularly played cricket when was 13 to 17 for senior sides in Barbados. He played for Barbados 1952-1974), South Australia (1961-1964) and Nottinghamshire (1968-1974) and the West Indies. Greatest Sporting Achievements Sobers scored a total of 8032 runs with an average of 57.78 and taking 235 wickets with an average of 34.03 for the West Indies. He was West Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year in 1958-59, Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1964, Walter Lawrence Trophy winner in 1974 and Wisden Cricketer of the Century in 2000. In the 1975 New Year Honors List, Queen Elizabeth II created Sobers a Knight Bachelor for his services to the sport. In 1998, he was made National Hero of Barbados by the Cabinet of Barbados and is given the honorary prefix, “The Right Excellent”.

The ICC inaugurated the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy awarded to player selected by ICC as its player of the year. Why Was He So Good? Gary Sobers was one of the most entertaining all-rounders. In 1960s, he became both the greatest batsman and greatest bowlers of the decade. He was a talented fielder and a determined sportsman of the game. His cricketing skills took him to international fame and as a result, he has long been viewed as a cricketing genius and a master of skilful play in the history of the game. What You May Not Know Besides cricket, Sobers was also naturally talented at playing football, golf and basketball for Barbados. He was the first batsman to hit six sixes and the historic ball he hit was auctioned off by Christies for a record £54,257. Gary Sobers was captain of so many cricket teams – West Indies (39 times), Barbados and the Rest of the World Team for two tours.

He wrote factual books about cricket like King Cricket (1967), Sobers; The Changing Face of Cricket (1996), Sobers; Twenty Years at the Top (1988) and many more. Was he a legend? Do you agree with Garfield Sobers being a legend of cricket? How would you rate their greatness? (from good to 'the best') Share: Tony Cozier marks the 60th anniversary of Garry Sobers' debut | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo Sixty years ago today, a 17-year-old Bajan cricketer made his debut for West Indies, and went on to touch with his genius all those who saw him play for the next two decades 59 Garry Sobers: "genius in all climes and conditions" © PA Photos Sir Garry Sobers - the Right Excellent Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, to accord him his full title as a knight of the realm and the only living national hero of his native Barbados - is not the type who makes a fuss over his achievements as, in the words of the 1965 calypso, "the greatest cricketer on Earth or Mars".

If he is inclined to play down his two coincidentally simultaneous anniversaries on Sunday, he is sure to have been reminded of their significance several times in the past few days. They mark the start and the end of his celebrated Test career. March 30 is 60 years to the day since Sobers first appeared in a Test match for West Indies, against England in 1954 in Kingston's Sabina Park. It is precisely 40 since his last, also against England, in Port-of-Spain's Queen's Park Oval in 1974. He took the field at Sabina as a boy of 17 from the working-class district of Bayland on the outskirts of Bridgetown, raised, along with five siblings, by a mother widowed by the loss of her seaman husband to a German torpedo during World War II; her second son had no formal coaching, just a love and an aptitude for any ball game. He was a late, like-for-like replacement for left-arm spinner Alf Valentine, who was injured; he batted at No. 9.

His selection was based primarily on his unquestionable talent, obvious in only two preceding first-class matches for Barbados, against the touring Indians the year before and the Englishmen earlier on their tour. He was so anonymous that Wisden Cricketers' Almanack listed him as H Sobers in the India scorecard. "Not a soul was there when I walked into the dressing room, they were in the nets practising," Sobers recalls of the day he turned up in the Kingston Cricket Club pavilion for his debut Test. "You then looked around and saw the names on the team sheet - Weekes... Worrell... Walcott... Rae... Stollmeyer... Ramadhin... I said to myself: 'You've arrived, you've made it'." "I used to swim a lot. I used to live at the beach. I used to play a lot of beach cricket. I played cricket every day" Sobers' fitness routine A return of 28.5-9-75-4 and scores of 14 not out and 26 as England won by nine wickets verified his temperament as much as his skill.

By the time he strode on the Queen's Park Oval 20 years later, also against England, for his farewell match. after 92 Tests against all five of West Indies' opponents of the day, he had certainly "made it". It was a shame, but immaterial, that there was no grand finale; he was out for 0 and 20 and collected just three wickets in the match. He had long since become a batsman supreme, departing as Test cricket's leading scorer, with 8032 runs, at an average of 57.78. His 26 centuries had been bettered only the insatiable Don Bradman's 29. His 235 wickets in three contrasting left-arm styles were second to Lance Gibbs among West Indians. His 109 catches, snared mostly with Venus-flytrap reflexes in the slips or round the corner off Gibbs, were eight short of Colin Cowdrey's tally. He captained West Indies in 39 matches , the most until Clive Lloyd came along to carry his formidable teams for 74.

His name remained affixed to 365 not out against Pakistan in Kingston in 1958 as the highest Test innings for 36 years until Brian Lara, a similarly gifted West Indian left-hander Sobers had mentored since he appeared in the annual, long-running International Schools tournament in Barbados that carries Sobers' name, passed it in 1994. They are statistics that explain Sobers' widely acknowledged status as the most complete all-round cricketer of his time, indeed all time. They do not tell the whole story of his remarkable endurance. His first 85 Tests were in succession; no one had ever had such an unbroken sequence. He is adamant that he never left the field, not once, in any of them. In addition to West Indies and Barbados, he had three stints with South Australia (where he became the first player to complete the double of 1000 runs and 50 wickets in an Australian season), with English county Nottinghamshire for seven years, and with clubs in the Lancashire League. He captained Rest of the World teams against England and Australia.

At the height of Sobers' preeminence in the 1966 series in England , the renowned English writer Sir Neville Cardus contended that he was "even more famous than Bradman ever was, for he is accomplished in every form of the game and has exhibited his genius in all climes and conditions". On the Saturday of the final Test of the memorable 1960-61 "tied Test" series, the temperature at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was as roasting as it was at the recent Australian Open tennis, where some players were felled by heat stroke. It didn't stop Sobers sending down 22 consecutive eight-ball overs on the day, mostly in his quicker style - and returning for another 19 on the Monday. Such exhausting facts are even more astonishing given his legendary enjoyment of life, a capacity I marvelled at during several nights on tour in his company. He was never concerned that it would affect his game. It was his way of relaxation. Cooped up in his room, he said, would unnecessarily get him worried about the cricket. To each his own; his justification is in the record books.

Sobers as an 18-year-old © PA Photos And what about keeping as fit as he did? Certainly gym work and personal trainers were hardly known during his time. "I used to swim a lot. I used to live at the beach. I used to play a lot of beach cricket. I played cricket every day," he said. "There was tennis and other sports [he represented Barbados at soccer and basketball even before he did at cricket]. I got myself fit because I knew how fit you had to be to be at your best for five days of a Test match and not leave the field." As we marvel at the action, athleticism and all-round ability of the players in the current World T20 in Bangladesh, it is not difficult to imagine how Sobers' talent would have flourished in the abbreviated formats that came along after he had swapped the cricket field for the golf course, a place where he habitually indulges what has long been a passion. It is another sport that he has inevitably mastered. Now 77, the passing years have generally treated him kindly. He has been technical consultant to the West Indies team and advisor to the team's sponsor.

For the past three decades, his global fame has made him the ideal ambassador for Barbados tourism, the island's economic mainstay. The hilarity heard from the boxes at Kensington Oval, where he and several of his old mates gathered for West Indies' three T20 matches against England last month suggested a kindling of happy memories. The memories will also feature on Sunday for those of us lucky enough to have experienced the Sobers magic during our lifetime. March 31, 09:18: The photograph, which was a flipped image, has been replaced. Tony Cozier has written about and commentated on cricket in the Caribbean for 50 years © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Question: On which West Indian island was cricketer Gary Sobers born?
Answer: BARBADOS